Sensory and Motor Pathways in the Spinal Cord

Objectives 1. Basic understanding of how information is conveyed between the cortex and spinal

Big Picture • Functional organization of each lobe • Sensory receptors • Sensory pathways

Looking at cross sections to identify sensory and motor tracts

Sensory Tracts 1. Anterolateral: detect harmful stimuli • Spinocerebellar • Spinothalamic (Ventral and Lateral)

Upper Motor Tracts 1. Lateral Corticospinal Tract and Rubrospinal Tract: Distal limb 2. Vestibulospinal

Draw it yourself! Gheysens, K. , Lebeau, R. , & Glendinning, D. (2017). Spinal

Spinal Cord Section Here is an image of spinal cord section with the three

Pain and Temperature Here is an image of consecutive sections to demonstrate how nerves

Vibration and Position Sense A nerve carrying vibration and position has been added to

Motor A nerve carrying motor information has been added to the sections to demonstrate

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Sensory and Motor Pathways in the Spinal Cord

Objectives 1. Basic understanding of how information is conveyed between the cortex and spinal cord 2. Understand the significance of decussations 3. Have a general idea about where sensory and motor tracts are in the spinal cord

Big Picture • Functional organization of each lobe • Sensory receptors • Sensory pathways • Motor pathways • Upper motor neurons • Lower motor neurons

Looking at cross sections to identify sensory and motor tracts

Sensory Tracts 1. Anterolateral: detect harmful stimuli • Spinocerebellar • Spinothalamic (Ventral and Lateral) 2. (Medial) Lemniscal: tactile and proprioceptive • Fasciculus Gracilis • Fasciculus Cuneatus Dorsal columns

Upper Motor Tracts 1. Lateral Corticospinal Tract and Rubrospinal Tract: Distal limb 2. Vestibulospinal Tract and Reticulospinal Tract: Posture and Proximal Lower Motor Neuron Cell Bodies Located in the ventral horn and are the target of the upper motor tracts

Sensory Pathways

Upper Motor Pathways

Corticospinal tract lesions

Draw it yourself! Gheysens, K. , Lebeau, R. , & Glendinning, D. (2017). Spinal cord neuroanatomy: An interactive, step-wise module. Med. Ed. PORTAL: Journal of Teaching and Learning Resources, 13 (Jun 8). DOI 10. 15766/mep_2374 -8265. 10592. URL: https: //www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC 6354720/

Spinal Cord Section Here is an image of spinal cord section with the three major tracts labeled for your review:

Pain and Temperature Here is an image of consecutive sections to demonstrate how nerves carrying pain and temperature travel up the spinal cord: Spinothalamic tract *regardless of where a nerve enters, it will travel approximately 2 -3 cord levels on the ipsilateral side before synapsing and decussating to the contralateral side

Vibration and Position Sense A nerve carrying vibration and position has been added to the sections to demonstrate how it enters and travels up the spinal cord: Dorsal column medial lemniscus tract

Motor A nerve carrying motor information has been added to the sections to demonstrate how it descends, synapses in the motor horn, and travels out the spinal cord: Corticospinal tract